This is probably a good fit for the Saints, I could see the 3-4 defense really helping them. There are a lot of 3-4 prospects this year so the transition should be fairly smooth. They desperately need a big NT type and a 3-4 OLB. I like some of the other pieces though, specifically at DE and ILB. Hawthorne and Lofton should be beasts in a 3-4 defense.

Roman Harper is a nice attacking player and should be a good fit for a blitz heavy scheme.

That leads me to another angle on Ryan. We may look at his former teams and their statistics and feel quite underwhelmed but let's look at what types of offensive leadership his defenses had to make up for.

You could combine all of these quarterbacks into a Voltron-style mega QB and still they couldn't come within 100 yards of Drew Brees' talent, heart, and leadership. When Tony Romo is the absolute best quarterback you've ever had opposite your defense it's not saying a lot. So clearly Ryan hasn't had a lot of backup over the years and his defenses have had to do a serious amount of compensation and load carrying.

Rob Ryan paired opposite Sean Payton and Drew Brees on offense could potentially be an intimidating combination for the rest of the NFL to prepare for. Although Ryan is a long-time 3-4 disciple (which is ideal) the 4-3 is not foreign to him from his Raider days.

I think he was the scapegoat in Dallas last season. I think with the Saints offense, there is potential for another 2009 type season for the Saints. I'm getting hyped for the draft now!_________________